N. Korea's official paper calls for localization to defend dignity

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's official newspaper Wednesday urged the use of locally made products over imported goods, stressing that localization is key to safeguarding the sovereignty and survival of the communist nation.

North Korea has emphasized localization as part of efforts to build a self-reliant economy amid bleak outlooks for any immediate sanctions lifting due to a stalemate in denuclearization negotiations with the United States.

"Localization is our republic's war to defend dignity to the last death," the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the North's ruling party, said. "Without one's own and with weak power, it would bow to others and eventually lose its right to autonomy and survival."

"Only with self-reliance and self-sufficiency will we be able to speed up our move toward a socialism victory," the paper added. "We would never realize our vision to become a powerhouse with a way to depend on materials of others."

The paper called reliance on imported goods an "illness," saying that using locally made products would help people become patriotic and committed to the country.

North Korea has intensified its calls for the use of its own products recently since it closed its border with China due to the coronavirus pandemic, which might be disrupting imports from its powerful neighbor.

kokobj@yna.co.kr
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